Erindell
Villa is
a delightful little guesthouse with a large swimming pool. It is nestled
among colourful tropical gardens in Woodlands, Montserrat - the "Emerald
Isle of the Caribbean".Renovated in 2009 thanks to the Montserrat
Tourist Board’s Challenge Fund Grant, we are close to the volcano
observatory, bus routes, Woodlands Beach, hiking trails and the village
of Salem.

The
Rooms: Each fully-equipped room features a private entrance,
two comfortable twin beds with Simmons Maxipedic mattresses (can be
made up as a king bed), a private shower with hot and cold water,
iron, ironing board and hair drier. There is a ceiling fan, but no
air conditioning as louvred windows on all sides let in the cool Trade
winds. In the guest rooms there is also a small fridge stocked with
fresh fruit, bottled water and sodas, both regular and diet. There
is a microwave oven in one room and a toaster oven and hot plate in
the other. Both rooms have coffee and tea making facilities, phone,
Cable TV, clock-radio, a mini-desk and access to the Internet via
WiFi.

Complimentary
Services & Amenities: Our complimentary services and
amenities include a hearty continental breakfast, a basketful of snacks
(for stays of two nights or longer), a bowl of fruit, sodas and juices,
unlimited tea and coffee, maid service, laundry service, Internet
access, long-distance calls via Skype, all linens and towels, beach
towels, beach mats and beach umbrella, snorkeling gear and a cell
phone for your personal use. There’s no catch – it’s
all free! On a clear day, when our chores are done, we take our guests
on a mini sightseeing tour, by car, to the volcano observatory, Old
Road Bay, Old Towne, Olveston and back to Woodlands. Unlike other
guesthouses, we do not offer a free pickup service at the air or sea
ports. We thought about it, but decided there are many highly qualified
taxi drivers who depend on transport jobs to earn a living for themselves
and their families in these ‘lean’ times. The taxi drivers
we select to meet our guests are efficient, pleasant and reliable.

Meals:
We offer a meal service, featuring international and local
cuisine, with a full bar. Our Hungry-Man and Full English Breakfasts
are to die for. Lunch is a pleasure with a variety of sandwiches,
huge beef hot dogs and monster burgers, downed with a cold beer or
chilled local drink out on the covered terrace or at poolside. Dinner
is a novel experience at Erindell. Guests sit with the hosts and dress
is very casual – barefoot, if you like! The menu changes each
evening, ranging from simple casseroles or quiches to barbequed goodies,
and is literally “all you can eat” with wine and dessert
extra. During dinner, Lou tries to tell corny jokes, but gets “kicked”
under the table for his troubles. Guests are then entertained with
funny or eerie stories culled from Shirley’s immense collection
of local and Caribbean folklore. Of course there is the usual threat
that you won’t be allowed to leave the table unless you put
on 5lbs!

Activities
Abound:

•
The nearby Woodlands or Lime Kiln beaches are perfect for swimming,
snorkeling and picnic lunches. We provide transportation to and from.

•
A 15-minute drive takes you to Little Bay for scuba diving, glass-bottomed
kayaking, snorkeling, jet skiing or “liming” (hanging
out) at one of the many beach bars. Divers will love our colourful
coastal reefs and going into the bat cave (see photo below).

•
Join local players for a game of tennis, cricket, soccer or basketball.
No? There is also a gym on the island for daily workouts.

•
You can go deep-sea fishing with Danny or Bruce, go around the island
by boat, go horseback riding or take an awesome volcano tour.

•
Hikers and bird watchers will love the winding trails through thickly
wooded rain forests led by ”Scriber”, one of our personable
forest rangers. You may glimpse the yellow-breasted Montserrat Oriole,
the island's national bird, some Mountain Chicken, large edible frogs
that are considered a gourmet delicacy, a Galliwasp, a recently discovered
“lizard-snake”, and a variety of other interesting flora
and fauna. If they are going on a hike, we can arrange for you to
join the local “Hash House Harriers” group for even more
fun. Not surprisingly, the members describe themselves as being hiking
drinkers or drinking hikers!

For The Not-So-Active:

•
There are nightly domino and pool games at local village pubs in Salem,
weekly poker and bridge gatherings and, in season, a monthly bar-hop.

•
You can also opt for a do-nothing day, where you can relax at poolside
with a couple of Lou’s creamy piñacoladas and a magazine
or novel from our delightful book collection.

•
Think you can handle the local dialect? Take a fun lesson with Shirley.
You’ll be amused!

•
In the main house there is a full length electric piano and loads
of music books with Oldie-goldies, Broadway favourites and complete
opera scores.

•
Or you can relax and watch exciting volcano DVDs.

•
Karaoke anyone? If Shirley can sing calypso, R&B and opera, so
can you!

Our
Active Volcano: The Soufriere Hills volcano is still active
and venting. Tours can be arranged so bring lots of film. On a daytime
tour you can visit the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) for firsthand
information, and view the destroyed city and golf course through the
telescope provided. There is even a souvenir shop on the premises.
On an evening tour to Jack Boy Hill in the northeast of the island,
you can see the glowing dome with its fiery rock falls, and the lights
of Antigua and Guadeloupe. At times, the ‘waterfalls of fire’
can also be seen from the MVO. With the current increased activity,
no one is allowed into the exclusion zones. There are almost daily
ash clouds that blow mostly to the south of the island. Occasionally,
when the wind changes direction, we may get some light ash in the
Woodlands area. When that happens, we close all windows and wait it
out. Afterwards we may still get some ash blowing in off the trees
and shrubbery, but we try, through hosing down, to keep ash levels
down. We also provide face masks to guests if needed during ash venting.

About
Montserrat: Montserrat, a tiny island in the Eastern Caribbean,
27 miles southeast of Antigua, has a population of about 5,000 of
which only 43% are Montserratians (pronounced ‘Munsrashuns’).
The island is a British Overseas Territory; however the Irish influence
can be seen in our family names, village names and our national emblems.
On arrival your passport is stamped with a green shamrock. The Island’s
flag and crest, officially adopted in 1962, show Erin of Irish legend
dressed in green, holding a cross and harp. On the upper left side
of the flag is the Union Jack of Great Britain; however our national
colours are those of Ireland – green, orange and white. Montserrat
is the only country in the world, beside Ireland, that celebrates
St. Patrick’s Day with a public holiday and special celebration.
If you listen to Montserratians speak, you will hear, or imagine you
hear, the Irish lilt. “Erindell” was so named because
of Shirley’s Irish heritage.

About
Us: Come join your fun hosts, Shirley & Lou Spycalla.
Lou is well known for his wit, while Shirley is an accomplished storyteller.
In fact she has written several children’s stories based on
island legends, and is currently writing a book on growing up in the
Caribbean with ghosts and ghouls. Whether you arrive by air or sea,
we arrange transfers to and from Erindell and are happy to arrange
for a rental car or SUV, and also for sightseeing, shopping, etc.
Take the time to work on your tan, but don't forget to bring your
sunscreen and sunglasses. By the time your departure date arrives,
you will feel as though you’ve known us forever. To be sure,
you'll have a fun vacation at Erindell Villa! As for Montserrat; once
you’ve had a sip of water from the magical spring at the nearby
Runaway Ghaut, you will find you can’t wait to come back!

Most
major airlines fly into VC Bird Intl Airport on the island of Antigua,
27 miles to the southeast of Montserrat. From there to Montserrat
it’s a 20-minute hop by Winair (www.fly-winair.com) or by Montserrat
Airways (www.fly-montserrat.com). Starting in early December, there
will be a ferry service operating between Antigua and Montserrat,
3 days a week.